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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26897974">Life In The Ark</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/epicwriter87/pseuds/epicwriter87'>epicwriter87</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>ARK: Survival Evolved</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Derogatory Language, Dinosaurs, Drama, Multi, Non-Consensual Body Modification, Not a porno, On Hiatus, Rape/Non-con Elements, Sexual Content, Slavery, Temporary Character Death, Torture, Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 22:41:00</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>18,226</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26897974</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/epicwriter87/pseuds/epicwriter87</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>What is the ARK? Why was it created and what purpose does it serve? These are a few questions asked by the inhabitants of the ARK. They live, hunt, fight and die; but the story doesn't end there. They wake up with the memories of their last moments and continue as if they never happened. Life in the ARK is an endless loop and that alone is enough to drive a person insane; never mind the dinosaurs they co-exist with...</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Welcome To The ARK</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>*I'd like to thank nevermore64, SuperHobbit, and the youtube channel Neebs Gaming for giving me insight into how I should write this story.<br/>*I switched from a first person to a third person point of view because I wanted the reader to experience entry into the Ark, or 'rebirth' as I like to imagine it, for the beginning of the story.<br/>*I've read a couple of Ark stories now and see people prefer the more believable approach of saddle bags. I'm sticking with game logic because if we assume that saddle bag size is limited to what a person could carry and safely place on a dinosaur rather than what a dinosaur could actually carry, the gathering and transportation of materials would be incredibly slow and time consuming without the full cooperation of a large tribe or a buttload of dinos.<br/>*Please give me feedback; I'm not new to writing, but I've never based a story on a video game. Let me know what you like and what you don't.<br/>***As I have no feedback so far, I will likely orphan this work soon. I get the feeling that readers are not satisfied with the approach I've taken.***</p>
    </blockquote><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A naked woman wakes up with no memory of who she is, where she is, or what awaits her in this strange new world. She's quickly caught up to speed though, thanks to a seasoned survivor. Thus begins her adventures in the Ark. She also learns that not everyone is her friend.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This wasn't the original plan, but chapters one and two have been merged. I felt the two chapters separated were too short. Not much has changed, except I have one big chapter instead of two small ones.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>        Where am I? Who am I? Why am I laying on the ground? Why am I naked? What is this diamond-like stone sticking out of my left wrist?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>        The presence of breasts tells me I am a young woman; my skin is soft, my body is short and thin, and my head is bald. I feel like a newborn baby that has instantly grown into an adult. I need to see myself somehow.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>        I'm surrounded by bushes and trees. The sky is blue, but the sun is hidden by a passing cloud. The plant life is odd and unfamiliar to me; this place feels ancient and forgotten to me. The air is warm and there is a light breeze; the breeze gives me goosebumps.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>        There! A small pond. If I peer down at the water I will see a reflection of myself. I look down at the water and see myself clearly. I am young and beautiful; my skin is light and my body is well-developed, but my face bears the resemblance of a child.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>        I look up to see a young naked man on the opposite side of the pond. He is equally attractive. When I realize that he is also staring at me, my heart begins to pound.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>        Why is he naked too? Are there others near by? What is he thinking? Is he as innocent as I am or does he plan to harm me?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>        I fear for my life and decide I can't stay here any longer. I run as fast as I can from the pond. I do not look back to see if he is chasing me. I run through a patch of trees and enter a heavily forested area. I soon run out of breath and bend over wheezing.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>        As I look back to see if the man followed, the ground begins to tremble at my feet. There is a low rumbling sound that is getting louder. I turn around just in time to see the monster emerge from the trees in front of me.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>        I have run into the jaws of a tyrannosaurus rex. The creature is mostly maroon red with a dark gray stomach. The eyes are dark red. It takes a step forward and let's out a deafening roar.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>        I turn to run, but I am impaled after five steps. The shock of the pain leaves me numb as I am being eaten alive. The last thing I see are the rex's teeth from inside his mouth.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>-</em>
</p><p>        The woman sat bolt upright as she gasped for breath. She quickly examined her body, expecting to find her internal organs scattered on the ground. She blinked as she saw there wasn't a single mark on her body.</p><p>"It takes some getting used to." A voice said softly from behind her.</p><p>        The woman sprung to her feet and prepared to run again.</p><p>"I won't hurt you, I promise." It was a man's voice.</p><p>        She turned to face the man. She realized it was the same man she had run from. The woman looked at him as if she were confronting a petty thief; keeping a watchful eye for any sudden movements.</p><p>"My name is Wydan. What is your name?" The man asked.</p><p>        The woman did not answer.</p><p>"Surely you won't die if you tell me your name?"</p><p>"I don't feel safe." The woman murmured.</p><p>"That's normal for new arrivals. It takes time getting used to this place." Wydan said.</p><p>"What is this place?"</p><p>"Most survivors call this the Ark, but a few of the old-timers call it 'Champion's Domain'."</p><p>"Why 'Champion's Domain'?"</p><p>Page 2</p><p>"This land can be unforgiving. If you can adapt to the challenges of this land, you become a champion of this domain. You still haven't given me your name." Wydan added after answering her question.</p><p>"I don't have one." The woman said abruptly.</p><p>"How can you not have a name? Everyone who enters the Ark has a name."</p><p>"I don't know who I am."</p><p>"Tap the diamond on your wrist."</p><p>        The woman slowly turned her left palm up, looking at the diamond-shaped stone on her wrist as she brushed it with a finger. A display shot out of the diamond. It hovered a few inches above her wrist as Wydan read the display.</p><p>"Alyra, level one, no rank, second body."</p><p>"Is this some kind of game?" The woman asked suddenly.</p><p>"Well, it's not Heaven. You can call it Hell, but that's not quite accurate either. It's not a dream unless we're all in a coma. Game seems to be the only scenario that fits the situation at this point."</p><p>"How do I get out then?" Alyra asked.</p><p>"Nobody knows." Wydan shrugged.</p><p>"How long have you been here?"</p><p>        Wydan tapped his diamond.</p><p>"Wydan, level forty-seven, no rank, sixty-fifth body?" Alyra asked as her eyes went wide.</p><p>"The dinosaurs aren't your only enemies." Wydan commented.</p><p>"People kill each other here?"</p><p>"Let's start with the basics," Wydan said, sidestepping the question as he continued, "The diamond on your wrist is called your specimen implant. If you tap the specimen implant twice, you can access your inventory, equipment, hot bar, and check your stats. If you tap it three times, you can see your engrams. If you tap it four times, you will see the name of the tribe you are with, the names of all your tribe mates, and an event log keeping track of important events that have occurred since your arrival."</p><p>"What are engrams?"</p><p>"Join my tribe and I'll teach you everything I know."</p><p>"You lead a tribe?" Alyra asked.</p><p>"My tribe is the Tribe of Orphans. I am the leader."</p><p>"How many people are in your tribe?"</p><p>"You would be the first to join my tribe."</p><p>"What will I be in this tribe?" Alyra asked, her eyes narrowing with suspicion.</p><p>"So many questions." Wydan paused with a sigh, "As the first to join, you would be my second in command."</p><p>"So I wouldn't be your slave?"</p><p>"No. Life in the Ark can be cruel, but it's not in my nature to hurt another person. Dinosaurs, on the other hand." Wydan paused as he tapped his specimen implant twice.</p><p>Page 3</p><p>        A smooth wooden bow formed in Wydan's hands. A quiver of arrows was strapped to his back. He pulled an arrow from the quiver and placed it on the bow. eighteen meters ahead stood a raptor. The raptor spotted them as he pulled the string back.</p><p>        Wydan scored a head shot, but the raptor continued to charge forward. Wydan scored two more head shots before the raptor came within striking range. Wydan began beating on the raptor with the bow. The raptor turned to attack Alyra.</p><p>        Alyra began to panic as the raptor started to tear chunks off of her body with its teeth. She pounded the raptor with the brute strength of her fists. When she thought she was done, the raptor collapsed to the ground dead.</p><p>        Wydan tapped his specimen implant and scrolled through his inventory until he found what he was looking for. A chunk of meat appeared in his right hand as the bow and quiver disappeared. He handed the meat to Alyra.</p><p>"Eat this!"</p><p>"Why?" Alyra asked weakly.</p><p>"Eating food will heal you. Now eat quickly!"</p><p>        Alyra weakly took the food from his hand. She nibbled on the meat at first, but soon ripped large chunks off of the meat, barely chewing before she swallowed. The meat was gone within moments. Ten minutes later, she looked at her body to see it had almost completely healed.</p><p>"This really is a game, isn't it?"</p><p>"You don't know how lucky you are, Alyra. You just killed a level fifty raptor with your bare hands and survived." Wydan frowned as a magnifying glass vanished from his hand.</p><p>"Is level fifty hard to beat?"</p><p>"At level one, you should have died. Then you were awarded the experience points for the kill." Wydan said in disbelief.</p><p>"Did I level up or something?"</p><p>"Yeah. You should be at level four with the xp you just got."</p><p>"What do I do now?"</p><p>"Join Orphans and I'll teach you everything I know."</p><p>"You promise I won't be a slave?"</p><p>"Alyra, I don't need a slave; I need a tribe mate."</p><p>"Then I will join your tribe."</p><p>        Wydan tapped his implant three times before scrolling through the screen that projected from his wrist.</p><p>"Tap your implant three times."</p><p>"What next?" Alyra asked after doing so.</p><p>"Place a finger on the implant and gently slide it around until the arrow lines up with the notification."</p><p>"Wydan has invited you to join his tribe. Do you Accept? What now?"</p><p>"Slide the arrow onto the option box and select yes."</p><p>        Alyra did so. Her display read, <em>Welcome to Orphans</em>.</p><p>"That's it, then?"</p><p>Page 4</p><p>"You're in my tribe now."</p><p>"Well in that case, let the lessons begin." Alyra grinned before remembering she was still naked.</p><p>"Yeah, we should probably do something about that. Noob-Hunters enjoy people like you. Follow me and we'll make you some clothes."</p><p>"Wait. If you have a bow, arrows, cooked meat, and a magnifying glass in your inventory, does that mean you have clothes too?"</p><p>"Of course."</p><p>"Then why aren't you wearing them?!" Alyra asked with surprise.</p><p>"I recently died and forgot to put them on. Besides, I thought you might be less frightened if you saw someone as weak and lowly as you are."</p><p>"You forgot to get dressed? Is that common?"</p><p>"You're probably going to run into a lot of naked people. Some people call new arrivals 'nakeds'. In most cases, naked people will be new arrivals and recent respawns. A few of them will be weirdos though."</p><p>"What do I do to make my clothes?"</p><p>"Well the first thing you need to do is level up. Double tap your implant."</p><p>
  <em>You are level 4. Apply status boosts and choose engrams.</em>
</p><p>"I see I'm level four now. How do I boost my stats?"</p><p>"Scroll down to your stats. When you find them, you should see plus signs next to all of them. Click on the stats you want to boost."</p><p>"Which stats should I boost?"</p><p>"I'm sorry, but I don't have time for this." Wydan double tapped his implant and scrolled through his inventory.</p><p>        Alyra watched and waited as paper after paper formed in his hands. Wydan handed Alyra the stack of papers. Alyra glanced down at them before looking up at Wydan again.</p><p>"These are my notes on the Ark. Read them while I gather materials. We're in a safer region at the moment. There aren't many dinosaurs here and people don't explore this area often. Stay put and I'll come back for you when I'm ready to move on."</p><p>"What about my clothes?"</p><p>"I'll gather the materials this time and bring them back to you. Just read my notes." Wydan answered.</p><p>"I'm trusting you to come back."</p><p>"We're tribe mates; I don't abandon my tribe." Wydan said before turning and walking away.</p><p>        When Wydan came back, Alyra was wearing a cloth hat, cloth shirt, and cloth pants. The generic clothing was tan-colored. She had a vine of berries in one hand. He sat next to her before scrolling through his inventory. A vine of berries appeared in his right hand.</p><p>"I see you've learned from my notes." Wydan said before eating a handful of purple berries.</p><p>"I got tired of sitting around naked waiting for the leader to come to my rescue." Alyra grinned as she handed the notes back.</p><p>"So, do you think you have a pretty good idea of how gathering works?" Wydan asked as cloth armor materialized on his body.</p><p>"I'm comfortable with gathering, I almost have the hang of crafting, and I know how to use my map."</p><p>"Not much on your map, is there?" Wydan smirked.</p><p>Page 5</p><p>"No. Other than the small patch that surrounds my marker, the map is blank. But your notes said the map will fill itself in as I explored new regions, right?" Alyra scowled before asking.</p><p>"That's right. You're a fast study; I'll need someone like that in my tribe. What have you learned for engrams so far?"</p><p>        Alyra tapped her implant three times. Wydan glanced at the screen as she scrolled through. He looked up at her with a nod.</p><p>"So you've chosen the warrior's path."</p><p>"I don't understand."</p><p>"If you look at the engrams you can learn, you'll see that the majority of them either relate to building or basic survival items. You've bypassed the thatch building engrams for the basic items a nomad would carry. Clothing, weapons, campfire, and the waterskin. I imagine you'll come back for the hide sleeping bag when you level up again."</p><p>"That was the plan." Alyra nodded.</p><p>"Be careful about the engrams you skip. There are some engrams you can't unlock unless you have lower engrams already."</p><p>"Like what?" Alyra asked with a confused look on her face.</p><p>"An example would be the bow. You can't make the bow if you don't have the slingshot engram."</p><p>"I unlocked the slingshot; that shouldn't be a problem."</p><p>"There are some things you'll have to learn on your own as you level up. Engram requirements is one of those things."</p><p>"I suppose I can't expect to know everything in a day. What now?" Alyra asked after sighing.</p><p>"Now we find a spot to build shelter. The Ark is much like the real world was."</p><p>"Was? Is Earth gone?"</p><p>"I'd prefer to come back to that topic after we're safely sheltered. Now, like Earth, there is a daytime and nighttime. The temperature fluctuates throughout the day, also like Earth. However, unlike Earth, the weather patterns of the Ark are completely unpredictable. For that reason, we don't have seasons. Right now it's sunny and twenty-three point three degrees Celsius. Tonight it may be snowing at negative twelve."</p><p>"This cloth armor isn't going to insulate me at negative twelve, is it?"</p><p>"Are you kidding? That armor won't insulate you at four and a half degrees. At about ten degrees, the difference between warm and cold is sunlight. If you don't want to learn that firsthand, building a shelter should be our top priority."</p><p>"Where are we going to build?"</p><p>"Follow me." Wydan said as he turned to his left with a compass in his right hand.</p><p>        After occasionally checking her map, Alyra determined that they were traveling southeast. To her right was a large mountain, which looked menacing. To her left was the ocean. A sandy beach could be seen in the distance, perhaps a kilometer downhill. For the most part though, she was surrounded by gentle-sloped hills covered in grass and short bushes.</p><p>"This land looks peaceful, Wydan."</p><p>"This is one of the safer zones, generally. Predators like to come down that mountain to hunt, so you always need to be aware of your surroundings." Wydan warned.</p><p>        Alyra became highly alert now, glancing at the mountain frequently. At one point she thought she saw another person walking up the mountain in metal armor carrying a sword. She turned to bring this to Wydan's attention. Wydan either didn't notice or didn't care, so Alyra kept it to herself.</p><p>Page 6</p><p>        They walked for what seemed like hours before Wydan came to a stop, holding a hand up. Alyra came to a stop. She looked ahead, spotting a stegosaurus forty-six meters in front of them.</p><p>"Is it dangerous?"</p><p>"Normally, no. In this case though, things are going to get ugly." Wydan warned, bow in hand.</p><p>"You're going to tame it?"</p><p>"Trust me, we're going to need a dino. This one will do nicely."</p><p>        Wydan fired an arrow into the dinosaur's head. It roared with anger before charging the man. Alyra watched as it turned into a game of cat and mouse between the two. Wydan fired arrow after arrow into the body of the stegosaurus with no apparent progress.</p><p>        He took a hit from the spiked tail, knocking him backwards a few meters. He slowly got to his feet, dazed by the hit. Alyra picked up the bow and some arrows. She continued to attack the stego. The stego turned its attention to Alyra. She soon realized she couldn't attack and evade. What happened next was a blur.</p><p>        The stegosaurus swung its tail at full force. Alyra took the full impact of the attack. As she flew seven meters back, Wydan grabbed the bow from her cold hands. That was the last thing she saw before she was swallowed by darkness.</p><p>-</p><p>        Alyra sat up gasping. She waited a few moments for her mind to stop racing before she processed what had just happened. Alyra tapped her implant once.</p><p>
  <em>Alyra, level 5, no rank, third body.</em>
</p><p>        Once she was calm and centered again, Alyra quickly gathered fiber and made her cloth armor; she had no intention of running around naked if she could help it. The woman gathered some thatch, wood, and stones. Within moments, she was armed with a stone pickaxe. She swung the pickaxe once, satisfied with her craftsmanship.</p><p>"I'm glad this is a game, otherwise I'd be throwing sticks and stones to defend myself." Alyra muttered to herself.</p><p>        Alyra got her bearings and realized she was sixty-four meters east of the pond she had met Wydan at. She began walking away from the pond, her destination was the beach below her. Once there, she managed to gather some flint. She soon had a stone hatchet and a torch; the torch would come in handy soon as the sun had begun to set.</p><p>        Alyra walked back to the pond using her map to guide her. When she returned, the sun had nearly set. Thirty minutes later, the last flicker of daylight transitioned into darkness. Alyra looked up at the sky before sitting at the edge of the pond, observing that there was no moon.</p><p>        Hours of silence passed as Alyra waited for Wydan to return. She looked up upon hearing the snap of a twig in the distance. Soon there was an audible stomping sound. Alyra drew her hatchet from her hot bar, standing ready for whatever might be approaching. She made out the outline of a person riding a dino. As they drew nearer, she realized it was a stegosaurus.</p><p>"Wydan?"</p><p>"Yep."</p><p>        Alyra replaced the hatchet with a torch, illuminating the area around her.</p><p>"What took you so long?!" Alyra exclaimed.</p><p>"You try to tame a level forty stegosaurus with thirty-seven tranq arrows and a wooden club. Without dying, I might add."</p><p>"Was it worth it?"</p><p>"Damn straight it was. Now we can gather building materials in bulk without getting encumbered."</p><p>"But we never made it to your destination. Where are we going to build?"</p><p>Page 7</p><p>"Right here." Wydan answered as he climbed off of the stego.</p><p>"Is that a good idea?"</p><p>"Not particularly, but we need that shelter up."</p><p>"What can I do to help?"</p><p>"Gather as much wood, thatch, and fiber as you can. You won't be able to carry much, so store it in the stego."</p><p>"How do I do that?"</p><p>"Open your inventory with the implant. Then touch the dino while your inventory is open. That will let you access the dino's inventory."</p><p>"Got it. Wait, we don't use saddle bags on the dinos? We just transfer stuff into it's body?"</p><p>"This is one instance where game logic wins. I have no proof, but I suspect these dinosaurs have some kind of chip that stores materials while simulating the weight limit of the dinosaur. Besides; could you imagine putting saddle bags on a stegosaurus? Those would be damn heavy saddle bags."</p><p>"As bizzare as that sounds, it makes sense." Alyra said thoughtfully before heading out to gather materials.</p><p>        After half an hour, Alyra stood next to the stegosaurus with her twelfth supply of material. She transferred the materials into the dino with relative ease now. She walked up to Wydan, who had already finished the base of the shelter and was moving on to the walls.</p><p>"How did you do that so fast?!" Alyra exclaimed.</p><p>"Let me show you." Wydan held a wall piece in his hand passing it to Alyra.</p><p>"This feels so light." Alyra commented in surprise.</p><p>"Building materials have little weight when equipped in the hot bar."</p><p>"What do I do with it?"</p><p>"This is where the fun starts. Go to the edge of that foundation on the other side."</p><p>        Alyra walked to the other side of the floor and stood on the edge.</p><p>"Now stand the wall up on the edge."</p><p>        As Alyra placed the wall down, it suddenly slipped out of her hands. She jumped back at first, but she stepped forward when she saw that the wall would not fall. She looked back at Wydan, confused now.</p><p>"What just happened?"</p><p>"Most people would call it an 'auto-snap'. To put it in simpler terms though, imagine that each building structure is a magnet. Once you place the structure where you want it, the magnet becomes active, holding the structure in place."</p><p>"And this is how it works with all structures?"</p><p>"For the most part. Some structures have different rules. For instance, a greenhouse glass wall can't support the weight of a wooden wall, so it wouldn't let you place the wooden wall on the greenhouse glass wall. But building is something you're really going to have to learn on your own."</p><p>"I'd love to see a carpenter try to use this logic in the real world." Alyra grinned.</p><p>"The out come would be...rather messy, I imagine."</p><p>        Wydan resumed building and Alyra watched in silence. After another half hour, the shelter was complete. Alyra examined it carefully; after counting the foundations, she determined it was a three by three and the walls were two high with a ceiling but no roof. Wydan invited her in to the new shelter, opening the door for her.</p><p>Page 8</p><p>"It's dark in here. Where's the electricity?"</p><p>"I don't even have those engrams yet. We'll have to make do with standing torches." Wydan chuckled as he fumbled through his inventory.</p><p>        A moment later, a posted torch burst into flames, illuminating the shelter. Wydan walked out of the shelter for a moment and whistled. He came back in and closed the door before looking through his inventory.</p><p>        Alyra squinted at the walls, which were not as well lit up as the center of the shelter. With the little light she had though, she saw that the shelter took on the appearance of an old log cabin from Earth's pre-industrial era. She was also greeted by warm air, signifying that the shelter was well insulated.</p><p>"What was that about?"</p><p>"We communicate with our dinosaurs through whistling. I put the stego on defensive mode. If anything attacks, he'll protect us."</p><p>"I don't know how to whistle." Alyra said nervously.</p><p>"That's okay; most newcomers don't."</p><p>"How do I correct the problem?"</p><p>"I can teach you how to whistle, but I have a special whistle that's used by a lot of people." Wydan answered as a bed materialized in his hands.</p><p>"Is this a structure too?"</p><p>"It is. You didn't think I was superhuman, did you?" Wydan asked with a chuckle.</p><p>"No, I guessed you were able to hold the bed up because of the weight principle when placed in the, hot bar, right?"</p><p>"Exactly. The hot bar stores ten items for immediate use. Generally items like your hatchet, club, torch, and waterskin are in the hot bar, but that can change depending on your situation." Wydan explained as he placed the bed down near the left back corner of the shelter.</p><p>        Within seconds, he was holding another bed. He placed it in the opposite back corner. After walking back to the standing torch, he turned around and slowly got in bed.</p><p>"Wait? We can build houses with magnets, cheat death by eating food, and ride dinosaurs, but we can't go without sleep?"</p><p>"Actually, you can go without any sleep. However, in my experiences, you're more likely to make mistakes if you stay in a hyper-alert state for too long."</p><p>"What do you mean, 'hyper-alert'?"</p><p>"Am I safe? Where am I on the map? What engrams should I be learning next? What was that sound? Is my dinosaur starving?" Wydan paused before glancing at her before continuing, "These are just a few of the thoughts people constantly have if they don't take the time to rest."</p><p>"What about-?"</p><p>"I'm sorry, but I'm not answering anymore questions until I've rested. Dawn begins at four-fifteen and by six o'clock it's fairly light out. If we leave at eight, that'll give me about," Wydan paused as he tapped his implant twice, "Three and a half hours to collect my thoughts. You've had a rough day yourself. You might be surprised at what three hours can do for your health in the Ark. Good night."</p><p>        Alyra let her body fall backwards onto the bed. The bed was of a simple design, but it was oddly comforting considering how uncomfortable it had appeared when she first saw it. Her eyes slowly grew heavy until she finally gave in and let sleep claim her.</p><p>
  <em>Day 10</em>
</p><p>        Alyra and Wydan rode side by side across some fields in the midday sun. The sky was cloudless, the air was hot and dry, and there was no shade with the sun looming directly over head. Alyra tapped her implant twice and scrolled until she found what she was looking for before scowling.</p><p>
  <em>Day 10, 13:27, 30 C, wind 3%.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Page 9</em>
</p><p>        The fields were covered with grass and dense bushes, along with a few trees spread sparsely throughout the fields. There were herbivores such as stegosaurus', triceratops, and parasaurs all around them. There didn't appear to be any carnivores as a valley came into view.</p><p>        Alyra had died five times in the process, but managed to tame a level twenty-five raptor. Wydan made her the saddle and gave her the trainer's whistle, which resembled a metal ocarina. She later learned that it was crafted at level ten with three engram points using ten metal, ten flint, and fifty fiber.</p><p>        The raptor was orange with green stripes, a tan stomach, and olive green eyes. She had leveled up six times, to thirty-one, since Alyra had tamed her three days ago. She rode her with pride. Wydan had no trouble noticing this.</p><p>"She's a nice addition to our tribe, but you know we'll have to replace her eventually, right?" Wydan spoke up.</p><p>"The same could go for the stego." Alyra countered defensively.</p><p>"I suppose. All I meant was that higher level dinos could make quick work of her. The stego has a higher health stat, so he could take more of a beating." Wydan explained.</p><p>"I know, but that doesn't mean you aren't a buzzkill."</p><p>"Fair enough." Wydan smirked.</p><p>        Alyra's specimen implant chimed. She looked down to see that she had leveled up. She grinned as she commanded her raptor to stop, slipping down from the side.</p><p>"What is it?"</p><p>"A moment I've been looking forward to. Wooden structures, here I come!" Alyra said, still grinning.</p><p>        Wydan shook his head with a chuckle. Alyra scrolled through her engrams and selected her first choice. Her grin faded as she read the message.</p><p>
  <em>Prerequisites required to learn this engram.</em>
</p><p>"What?"</p><p>"Let me guess: You can't learn wooden structure engrams?"</p><p>"No. What am I missing?"</p><p>"Think back. What did you skip?"</p><p>        Alyra paused for a moment before rolling her eyes, "Thatch."</p><p>"You're going to learn that you can't unlock the more advanced engrams until you have the basic ones. Without thatch structures, you can't unlock any of the building engrams."</p><p>"So I have to learn all of the thatch engrams if I ever want to build with metal?"</p><p>"Metal is quite a ways off, even for me, but yes, that's how it works." Wydan replied with a nod.</p><p>"What I don't get is why I'm so far back on engrams. I'm level nineteen and my highest engram unlocked is level ten."</p><p>"I would have thought that was obvious by now." Wydan paused with a frown before explaining, "We don't get enough engram points to learn all the engrams, so we have to find a balance and prioritize the engrams we want most. You didn't get the hide sleeping bag until level eight, but you could have had it at level four."</p><p>"That's not going to get easier, is it?"</p><p>"At certain levels, you'll gain more engram points, but up until the last few levels, one hundred or so, you'll always be a few levels back on your engrams."</p><p>"Where are you at, in terms of engrams?" Alyra asked, curious now.</p><p>"I just learned magnifying glass and stego saddle."</p><p>        Alyra scanned through her engrams before looking at Wydan, wide-eyed and mouth open.</p><p>Page 10</p><p>"I have a good reason for being twenty-three levels behind."</p><p>"Let's hear it then." Alyra said, still shocked at what she had just learned.</p><p>"My focus is on saddles, armor, a few defensive items, but mostly building engrams. By my math, if I learn the stone, greenhouse, and metal building engrams, I won't learn the electrical generator until the high seventies or low eighties."</p><p>"Didn't you say max level was one hundred and four?"</p><p>"Without ascending, yes."</p><p>"Are you going to have enough engram points to learn everything you want to?"</p><p>"I honestly don't know. This is why the formation of a tribe is so important. By having tribe mates, you can go to others for engrams you don't have."</p><p>"Is that the only way to access the engrams you don't unlock?"</p><p>"You can get engram blueprints from loot drops, but that can be dangerous. People are known to kill for the loot." Wydan warned.</p><p>"People kill for engram blueprints?"</p><p>"Alyra, there are people who kill just for fun. Normally though, they kill for the ascendant gear."</p><p>"Ascendant; that was in your notes. Items that are stronger than the original. Usually boosted in damage, defense, or durability."</p><p>"Right. Experienced survivors with ascendant gear can be formidable opponents. If multiple survivors with ascendant gear unite, they can form what we call an alpha tribe."</p><p>"I'm not sure I like the sound of that." Alyra said with a shiver.</p><p>"Alpha tribes make the rules in the Ark. Disobeying them almost always results in death."</p><p>"But if we get ascendant gear and have a big tribe, we'd be an alpha tribe, right?"</p><p>"It's not just about ascendant gear. It's possible to be an alpha tribe without ascendant gear, but there's no room for mistakes."</p><p>"So we need to be smart, then."</p><p>"To create an alpha tribe, you need at least six people. Then, each of those six people has to be able to adapt to any situation they end up in and come out victorious. Finally, each of these people most be loyal and trust each other. Those are the minimum requirements to form an alpha tribe." Wydan explained.</p><p>"Why do you need six people?" Alyra asked, curious now.</p><p>"There's never been an alpha tribe smaller than six people."</p><p>"But how do you know it's an alpha tribe?"</p><p>"When you fight with everything you have and you're defeated with ease; you've faced an alpha tribe."</p><p>"You could beat me with ease, but that doesn't make you alpha."</p><p>"Alyra, it's something you have to see to understand. It's not something that can be explained easily."</p><p>"If you insist." Alyra sighed.</p><p>        After a long silence, Alyra spoke up again.</p><p>"Where are we going?"</p><p>"Herbivore Forest."</p><p>"That's where we're building our base, right?"</p><p>Page 11</p><p>"No; this will be a temporary shelter. Our final location will give us access to numerous resources." Wydan answered.</p><p>"The fact that we aren't going there now suggests it's a dangerous place." Alyra suspected.</p><p>"Correct. The area we're going to claim is inhabited by powerful predators. In addition to this, the area is fought over by many tribes. If we successfully reach and claim the land, we will be fighting both the dinosaurs and the people."</p><p>"How many temporary shelters do we plan to make?"</p><p>"That will depend on how long it takes to finish leveling up."</p><p>        Alyra's senses heightened upon hearing the snap of a twig. She looked around her, bringing her raptor to a stop. Something didn't feel right as she looked closely at her surroundings. Wydan came to a stop as well when he noticed Alyra's nervousness.</p><p>“What is it?” Wydan asked.</p><p>“I don't know. Something feels wrong.” Alyra answered, frightened now by the eerie silence around her.</p><p>        They sat at the center of a low narrow valley. The valley was long, making a quick getaway impossible. There was no sign of life in the valley; this frightened Alyra more, as there was plenty of vegetation in the form of grass and berry bushes throughout the area.</p><p>        Wydan's eyes went wide as he realized what was going on. He looked at Alyra helplessly before murmuring, “I'm sorry.”</p><p>        Then she saw it out of the corner of her eye. Sunlight reflected off of something at the edge of the field on the top left side of the valley. Then a barrage of gunshots echoed, followed by the sudden death of her raptor.</p><p>        Alyra fell to the ground, pinned by her raptor. She looked up to see Wydan take a shot to the head and heart. His stegosaurus was also hit and bloody now. She watched the stego barrel towards the side of the valley. A moment later, the stego collapsed dead from gunfire.</p><p>        The young woman stood to her feet, but was quickly brought back down by a bola to the ankles, falling forward. She rolled on to her back and tried to untangle the bola, but a figure in metal armor began slicing her with a sword. Her clothes were soon destroyed and her body was bleeding out from deep cuts. She gasped for air, but each breath was like inhaling smoke.</p><p>"What a pity; I would have enjoyed playing with you for a few days. Damn Alpha Council has ruled against the possession of prisoners for the next thirty days though." The figure in metal armor, clearly male, sighed with a chuckle, caressing one of her legs with a metal gauntlet.</p><p>"Why?" Alyra asked, little more than a whisper.</p><p>"We don't need a reason to kill, fuck, or otherwise humiliate you, noob. However, it just so happens that you've picked the wrong person to tribe with."</p><p>"What?" Alyra asked with a cough.</p><p>"Tell you what," The man said sadistically as a fabricated pistol materialized in his hand, "Tell Wydan that Hell's Raptors will hunt him and his tribe for eternity. In return, I'll offer you a swift death."</p><p>        The man bent over and placed the barrel of the gun against Alyra's forehead before pulling the trigger. Blood splattered on his armor as he continued to empty the clip into her head. When the clip was empty, he kicked the dead body, rolling it onto its stomach. He then thrust his head back and laughed uncontrollably.</p><p>-</p><p>        Alyra sat up screaming as she sprung to her feet. She gasped for air, but she was panicking too much to breathe properly. She fell to her knees and buried her head as she cried uncontrollably. The t-rex paled in comparison to what had just happened and she knew it was only going to get worse.</p><p>        When Wydan found her, she was curled up in a ball, silently sobbing. She slowly looked up at him. He saw the unasked question in her eyes. He reached out to help her to her feet, but she flinched at the touch. He took a step back as she slowly sat up.</p><p>Page 12</p><p>"I have some explaining to do." Wydan said uneasily.</p><p>"Hell's Raptors will hunt you and your tribe for eternity." Alyra whispered.</p><p>"That's not surprising I guess." Wydan replied with a scowl.</p><p>"What the hell did you do?"</p><p>"Something I should have done a long time ago." Wydan knew that answer wouldn't satisfy her, so he continued, "I was once a member of Hell's Raptors. They promised I'd be famous. However, I paid a heavy price; I soon realized I was socializing with monsters."</p><p>"Who are they?" Alyra asked with a shiver.</p><p>"The goal of Hell's Raptors is to become an alpha tribe and rule over the Alpha Council. However, they've taken too much pleasure in torturing and enslaving the weaker inhabitants. They especially take pleasure in ignoring the rules of the Alpha Council."</p><p>"You reported them to the Alpha Council, didn't you?"</p><p>"They camped out at the first respawn point that you've been using. After killing ten men, seven times each, the tribe owner captured a woman. They drugged her and handcuffed her and took her back to their base. According to the Alpha Council, you may only take a prisoner for five days. After that they must be released and cannot be recaptured until twenty-four hours have passed."</p><p>"But that's not what happened."</p><p>        Wydan closed his eyes before staring at Alyra with a lifeless gaze before saying, "My tribe tortured her for forty-seven days. Rape, molestation, strangulation, food poisoning, forced feeding of fecal matter, whips, guns, swords, wooden clubs and anything else they could think of. After forty-seven days, I had had enough. I reported to one of the alpha tribes after leaving Hell's Raptors."</p><p>"What happened?"</p><p>"The Alpha Council sent in a spy who confirmed my story. The four tribes united as one and killed every person and dino in Hell's Raptors. They also destroyed every structure of Hell's Raptors, down to the last foundation. That happened twenty-two days ago. I've been killed by Hell's Raptors fifty-four times in the last twenty-two days."</p><p>"What was her name?"</p><p>"No one ever accessed her implant."</p><p>"Where is she now?"</p><p>"I don't know for sure, but many say the Alpha Council has recently accepted another member into their tribes."</p><p>        Alyra slowly stood up. She approached Wydan and locked eyes with him. Alyra moved in a flash of motion. Wydan was sitting on the ground with blood flowing from his nose. He looked up with a nod.</p><p>"After what happened to you today, I deserve that."</p><p>"No! How could you wait forty-seven days to save a woman who didn't even have a name?!"</p><p>"I would have had to wait five days-." Wydan started.</p><p>"Forty-seven days of rape is wrong, but five days of rape is fine? Is there no code for the fair treatment of prisoners?!"</p><p>"Actually, there isn't." Wydan answered softly.</p><p>        Alyra was overcome with rage now as her vision faded. When she became aware of her surroundings again, she saw that Wydan was dead. The bruised body suggested that he had been beaten to death. Upon checking her stats, she saw her health was at one seventy-seven out of one eighty. There could be no mistake; she had killed Wydan.</p><p>Page 13</p><p>        Alyra looked up five minutes later to see Wydan staring down at her uncomfortably. She stood up and approached Wydan. Wydan quickly took a few steps back, confirming what Alyra suspected.</p><p>"I did, then."</p><p>"Yes. You were brutal and relentless."</p><p>"You watched them torture her, right?"</p><p>"Yes." Wydan answered, clearly ashamed of himself.</p><p>"Then you deserved what you got." Alyra snapped unapologetically.</p><p>        Alyra gathered the materials to craft cloth armor again. After a few minutes of gathering, she had tools again. Wydan did the same before they met up at the pond.</p><p>"What's the plan? We can't go back the way we came."</p><p>"At this point, we have two options. We can try going south using the coastline, or we can go north. The choice is yours, but the north is populated by deadlier dinos, including the t-rex."</p><p>"What's the danger of traveling south?"</p><p>"We don't know where Hell's Raptors are living, so they may find us again. I'm not convinced they'll settle for killing you next time."</p><p>"I say we go north, then. I'd rather be swallowed by a t-rex if the alternative is to become a psychopath's sex toy."</p><p>"Then we'll go north. Travel will be difficult, but you'll level up and probably gain a few tames in the process."</p><p>"I'm not afraid of dying."</p><p>"Neither am I, provided you're not the killer." Wydan smirked.</p><p>        They began walking north, away from the pond.</p><p>"I'm not the one you should worry about anymore. You may have to confront the victim at some point." Alyra pointed out.</p><p>"Unlikely."</p><p>"How so?" Alyra asked.</p><p>"I suspect that if she hasn't joined the Alpha Council, she's gone into hiding."</p><p>"You don't think she'd train to avenge herself?" Alyra asked, briefly glancing at Wydan before looking ahead again.</p><p>"Not alone, no. If she joined the Alpha Council though, she could become a formidable opponent."</p><p>"You said the alpha tribes make the rules, right?"</p><p>"Yes; as the Alpha Council, the alpha tribes discuss and then vote on any ideas that are shared."</p><p>"Then your victim would have a chance to enforce a code protecting prisoners."</p><p>"Create, perhaps. Enforce..." Wydan trailed off.</p><p>"What?" Alyra demanded as she came to a stop and locked eyes with Wydan.</p><p>"The alpha tribes are bound by law. They have limits to their power."</p><p>"And what does that mean?"</p><p>"We have the freedom to raid anyone we like, whether we're ready or not. The alpha tribes can only raid if they have proof that their rules are being broken."</p><p>Page 14</p><p>"You're serious?!" Alyra exclaimed.</p><p>"That's the balance of the Ark. To gain power, power must be given up."</p><p>"Then what good are rules if you can bypass them by hiding in a base?!" Alyra shouted.</p><p>"Do not underestimate the power of the Alpha Council, Alyra. As mandated by the Alpha Council, the tribe limit is twenty-five people; that means there are one hundred people who can infiltrate your tribe at any time."</p><p>"Then why do you have doubts?"</p><p>"The tribes are beginning to deny entry to any person with a level higher than ten. This makes it near impossible to infiltrate a tribe."</p><p>"And each person can only infiltrate a tribe once." Alyra commented as they began to walk again.</p><p>"One tribe, one time. Once that person infiltrates and reports back, word gets out to every tribe, effectively blowing their cover."</p><p>"Wait though; doesn't that mean the Alpha Council would run out of people to infiltrate with?" Alyra asked.</p><p>"I suppose they would." Wydan nodded.</p><p>        They continued to walk in silence now. The rest of the day was uneventful for them. Later during the night hours, they set up camp in a field. They soon had a campfire going. By midnight, they were sleeping in a small three by three, two wall high wooden shelter.</p><p>-</p><p>Day 31</p><p>        Alyra had grown significantly over the last three weeks. Not only was she level thirty-two but she was highly proficient in all areas except for combat, putting her body count up to twenty-three. Wydan had gone up to level fifty-five and learned stone building engrams. His body count was at seventy-two. Perhaps the best news though was that they hadn't seen Hell's Raptors since day ten.</p><p>        Alyra stared at the newly built stone base that Wydan had put up a few days ago, facing the door. It looked like a proper home. It was a six by six square that measured four walls high. At the top, he had actually used sloped walls and roofing to create an attic.</p><p>"Alright; let's assess our situation. You've tamed a level thirty-seven dilophosaur, a level twenty-four parasaur, and a level forty raptor. I have a level forty-one raptor, a level thirty-seven triceratops, and a level thirty-two ankylosaurus." Wydan stated.</p><p>"And thanks to your new engrams, we have this fortified stone base." Alyra added.</p><p>"We've been in this area for seven days and haven't encountered anything deadlier than a raptor yet. So far, I'd say we've done well."</p><p>"Oh...that might be changing soon." Alyra said suddenly, looking through her spyglass towards the forest to their north.</p><p>"What do you see?"</p><p>"There's a level sixty-two carnotaurus about two hundred and seventy-five meters away. It's no threat now, but if it decides to come after us, we may lose tames."</p><p>        Wydan pulled out his spyglass. He stared for a moment with a frown before the spyglass materialized back into his hot bar.</p><p>"We're probably going to have to confront it. There's a group of pachys less than seventy-five meters from us. Once he spots them, he'll give chase."</p><p>"What should I do?"</p><p>"Get on your raptor. We'll ride out and meet it on it's turf." Wydan answered.</p><p>"Wouldn't it be safer to confront him here with the rest of our dinos?"</p><p>"If I didn't have an ulterior motive, it would be. I want to tame a pachy."</p><p>"They're so small though. Wouldn't they die quickly in a fight?"</p><p>Page 15</p><p>"They won't be attacking dinos."</p><p>"What then?"</p><p>"Raiders."</p><p>"They'll protect us from Hell's Raptors, you mean?"</p><p>"Not likely. They will protect us from less experienced survivors though."</p><p>"The carno looks about fifty meters closer now."</p><p>"Then we should be going. If we wait much longer, we'll miss our chance to tame a pachy."</p><p>        Alyra got on her raptor and waited for Wydan to join her. Wydan chose to take his triceratops. They rode out to confront the carno. The carno spotted them at sixty-four meters, charging towards them.</p><p>        Alyra met the carno halfway, attacking the carno with everything she had. Wydan caught up five seconds later, the trike being the slower tame. What the trike lacked in speed it made up for with health and melee damage. Wydan managed to stand his ground, but Alyra's raptor was taking a beating.</p><p>"Back off and heal! I can take it from here!" Wydan shouted.</p><p>        Alyra wanted to protest, but the raptor was getting bloody and she knew it wouldn't survive much longer.</p><p>        Wydan now fought the carno alone. The health of the triceratops was steadily dropping, but so was the carno's. The trike was doing significant damage with its horns, but the carnotaurus was a formidable predator. Wydan was about to retreat when Alyra suddenly came in from behind, biting at the carno's legs and tail. After what seemed like an eternity, the carno crumbled to the ground thirty seconds later.</p><p>"That was a risky maneuver you just pulled. You could have killed your raptor."</p><p>"If I hadn't helped you, we may have lost both of the dinos." Alyra countered.</p><p>"How so? Even if I lost my trike, that carno would be seconds away from death."</p><p>"But the raptor would be too weak to take it head on."</p><p>        Wydan paused for a moment.</p><p>"I hadn't considered that. I said it before and I'll say it again; you're a fast study."</p><p>"I'm not much of a fighter, so I figured I should keep my tames alive if I want to survive."</p><p>"But how did you know your strategy would work?"</p><p>"I didn't. I knew there was a risk my tame would die, but I suspected it would see you as the greater threat and ignore me if it couldn't hit us both at the same time."</p><p>"It paid off this time, but that won't work every time."</p><p>"No, I imagine not. That's why I've been watching and recording the behaviors of all the dinos we've encountered."</p><p>"And what have you observed about the carno so far?" Wydan asked.</p><p>"From what I've gathered so far, The carnotaurus prefers to face an opponent head on and will not switch targets unless the rear target is a greater threat. I lost a raptor and a dilophosaur to a carno on day twenty-three, when we were separated, and made record of the event after I died."</p><p>"Alright...how about dilophosaurs?"</p><p>"Are we still going for the pachy?" Alyra asked, interrupting Wydan's train of thought.</p><p>Page 16</p><p>        Wydan glanced at their tames before replying, "Not today. Our dinos need to recover from their injuries. There's no point getting more dinos if we can't keep the ones we already have alive."</p><p>"That said, we need to feed them." Alyra said, commanding her raptor to feast on the dead carnotaurus.</p><p>"You've got the easy job. I have to go out harvesting berries and avoid predators." Wydan chuckled.</p><p>"You're up to the task." Alyra replied.</p><p>"Let's hope the trike is too." Wydan said before riding closer to the forest.</p><p>        Wydan approached a small field of wild berries a kilometer away from their base. He looked around while the herbivore gathered its preferred food, confirming that they were safe. Once his trike had gathered all of the berries it needed, he turned back to return to base. Just in time; a pack of raptors came over a hill three hundred meters behind him. By the time they reached the empty field, Wydan was over halfway to the base.</p><p>        At this point, Alyra could see Wydan nearing closer. She spotted the raptors with her spyglass, relieved to see they were returning to the forest. Wydan finally made it back to the base, getting off of the trike. He let out a sigh of relief as he looked back at the distant forest.</p><p>"The raptors returned to the forest. They decided not to pursue you." Alyra confirmed.</p><p>"I wasn't sure I was going to make it back alive when I saw the raptor pack approaching."</p><p>"They might call this the Flower Lands region, but it's not really peaceful, is it?" Alyra frowned.</p><p>"Let's get inside; it'll take time for our tames to heal and I've got a project I want to work on."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. A Wounded Heart</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Alyra and Wydan begin to have feelings for their tames, seeing them as friends and not just tools. They soon begin to have feelings for each other as well. Alyra feels comfortable falling in love with the man who has guided her for the last three months, but Wydan is overcome with guilt whenever he shares her feelings.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Day 93</p><p>        Wydan sat up gasping. For the fifth time in seven days, he had been woken by the nighmare. He quickly looked around and fell back on the bed, his heart still racing. He glanced over to see Alyra, still sleeping peacefully.</p><p>        He finally decided to get out of bed. The man sat up and put his hide armor back on except for the pants, which he had already been wearing. He stood up and gently opened the door, making as little noise as possible.</p><p>        He looked over the tribe's dinos; their collection had grown over the last two months. They now had two trikes (levels thirty-seven and fifty), four raptors (fifty-four, fifty-one, forty-six, and forty-two, two dilophosaurs (fifty and forty-two), a carnotaurus (level thirty-nine), a stegosaurus (level forty-six), and a very difficult to tame (and costly) therizinosaur (level forty-five) in addition to the dinos they already had, minus the ankylo. Almost all of the other dinosaurs were near or above level fifty now, which would have included the ankylosaurus as well.</p><p>        The pack of raptors that had been spotted in the fields returned to their base seven days later,  killing the armor-shelled dino during the night while another pack distracted the rest of the dinos. The raptors and the trike managed to kill the ones attacking them, but the ones that killed the ankylo got away. The presence of eight cooperative raptors was a rare event that few witnessed without dying.</p><p>        Everyone knew the ankylosaurus was a masterful gatherer of metal, making it a painful lose. For reasons Wydan couldn't explain though, staring at the ankylo saddle always filled him with sadness. He had never taken the time to learn the grave stone; he had made a cross tying two sticks together with fiber and shoved it into the ground.</p><p>        Alyra stepped out of the house and followed his glance to the saddle. She was wearing simple cloth armor, her preferred pajamas. She looked up at Wydan, noticing that he was bothered by the loss.</p><p>"This isn't a strategic inconvenience anymore, is it?" Alyra asked softly.</p><p>"No, it's become...personal. I feel like I've lost someone I care about."</p><p>"What's changed in the last two months, Wydan?"</p><p>"The therizinosaur tame."</p><p>"What about it?" Alyra asked.</p><p>"Did you not notice the therizinosaur's young when we tamed it?"</p><p>"No. She was caring for newborns?"</p><p>"He."</p><p>"Does gender make a difference?"</p><p>"I'm surprised at you, Alyra. You were quick to observe the behavior of every species you could study before taking detailed notes. Hell, you've even studied a t-rex. Perhaps I should be asking <em>you</em> that question now."</p><p>"Hell's Raptors changed me. I watched what little comfort I had built up shatter in an instant and then I learnt, painfully, that nothing really mattered except getting the hell out of here."</p><p>"I'm sorry, but that's bullshit."</p><p>"What?" Alyra asked, blinking her eyes in surprise.</p><p>"A world that seems unjust and lawless sucks, I get that. You want to get out of here before you end up being someone's sex slave, I get that too. But you <em>can't</em> die, so as long as you escape with your dignity, you're better off than the people who are trying to break you."</p><p>Page 2</p><p>"There is no dignity in death. You can live with dignity, you can't die with it."</p><p>"Who told you that?"</p><p>"Greggory House."</p><p>"You're getting your advice from television shows?"</p><p>"Asks the man who argues using video game logic?" Alyra countered.</p><p>"Fair point." Wydan sighed before continuing, "Let's use real life logic then. If death is generally a person's greatest fear and we know that we don't stay dead in the Ark, what's our next greatest fear? In the words of Winston Churchill, 'The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself'."</p><p>"And if fear is what I fear most, how do I overcome that fear?"</p><p>"Give yourself a purpose and don't let anyone take it away from you. No matter how much shit you go through, make sure you keep that important piece of yourself that wills you to live."</p><p>        Alyra dug through her notes before speaking again, "You said a therizinosaur male was watching his newborns?"</p><p>"Yes. The mother had gone out to gather; the father was a higher level and I can only assume his mate decided the children would be safer by his side."</p><p>"That doesn't make any sense though; the mother always protects her young. Even with video game logic, how could a dino know its mate is stronger or weaker?"</p><p>"I don't know. I'm willing to bet you could figure it out though." Wydan smirked.</p><p>        The two survivors locked eyes with each other. There was an awkward silence now; neither able to turn away from the other. Alyra's face turned red as she was overcome with an emotion she knew from somewhere, but never expected to feel again. Wydan welcomed the emotion, but was greeted instead with images of horror as he looked into her eyes. He turned away, closing his eyes tightly.</p><p>"What? What is it?"</p><p>"Nothing. I'm fine." Wydan said as he decided to saddle up his raptor.</p><p>"Where are you going?"</p><p>"I saw a level sixty ankylosaurus two kilometers east of our last base, in the fields. I plan to tame it." Wydan answered, not making eye contact with her.</p><p>"Not alone, you aren't. I'm coming with you." Alyra said as she walked into the wooden shed with the saddles.</p><p>"I don't need your help. I can do this myself. Ankylos are slow; as long as I keep my distance, I'll be fine."</p><p>"They might be slow, but they hit hard. Besides, you won't be able to keep a lookout for carnivores if you're busy avoiding the ankylo. I'm level forty-nine now; I'm not exactly inexperienced anymore." Alyra pointed out.</p><p>"It doesn't matter. If I die, I'll just respawn in the base. Also, your body count is almost as high as mine." Wydan argued.</p><p>"I don't know what's bothering you, but I know you'll feel worse if you lose your tame to a poorly planned strategy."</p><p>        Wydan opened his mouth to argue, but nothing came to mind right now. Alyra had a strong point and he couldn't counter it. It was a high level armor-spiked dino in an area that was known to be the hunting grounds of raptors, carnos, and occassionally, bigger dinos. He would need his tribe mate to successfully pull this off.</p><p>"Fine, but don't hold me back." Wydan growled as he got on his raptor.</p><p>"I won't. In fact," Alyra paused as she placed and secured the saddle on her raptor before saying, "If you give me some of your tranq arrows, I could probably speed the taming up. I just made my first crossbow."</p><p>        Alyra picked a box up off the ground containing fifty tranq arrows. Then she put them in her inventory and placed them on the crossbow, ensuring the crossbow would auto-load with tranq arrows; another feature that reminded her how unrealistic this environment was. She climbed onto the raptor and waited for Wydan to move out, following closely behind him.</p><p>Page 3</p><p>        They rode in silence as they traveled south of the Northern Woods. Alyra would occasionally glance at Wydan, but he would look away as soon as he locked eyes with her. Something was bothering him, but he refused to talk about it.</p><p>        Alyra knew he was having nightmares; she would wake from her sleep to the sound of screaming, but when she asked what was wrong, he would say it was a bad dream and she should go back to bed. She pretended to sleep after the first three nights of getting the same response, but she couldn't ignore the fact that her mentor was deeply disturbed by what he dreamt. She had an idea of what the nightmare might be about, but she was too nervous to speak her mind. She had spent the last week trying to gently pry the information out of him, but he seemed to be pushing her away.</p><p>        As they cleared the trees and entered the flowered fields and hills of the region, Alyra kept herself alert and focused. She looked around carefully, but could not identify any dangers in the area. There were no predators or aggressive herbivores (namely therizinosaur) in sight. So they continued at their steady pace of about sixteen kilometers per hour.</p><p>        Within fifteen minutes, they had found the ankylosaurus. There were three other ankylos near their target; it would prove difficult to tame successfully if they decided to protect each other. They came to a stop, just thirty-seven meters from their target. Alyra took her spyglass out of her hotbar and examined the other three herbivores.</p><p>"Level twelve, level twenty-three, and...level ninety-six. If that thing decides to attack, it could probably take all our lives."</p><p>"The raptors are expendable though; we'll just respawn at base and come back with better dinos."</p><p>"You've convinced me otherwise, regarding our tames. They're not just tools to be used as we see fit." Alyra said softly, caressing her raptor's face.</p><p>"What convinced you?" Wydan smirked.</p><p>"It's impossible to study every aspect of these creatures and not get attached to them." Alyra chuckled.</p><p>"Based on your notes, what are the odds that the high level ankylo will attack?"</p><p>"My ankylo notes are incomplete, but I think the odds are high. The ninety-six is the only male in the group; this would likely make the sixty his mate."</p><p>"Crap. I don't have enough tranq arrows to take her down by myself."</p><p>"And our raptors can't take on the male, much less two high level mates. I think we're gonna have to retreat and come back with something bigger."</p><p>"As much as I hate to admit it, you're right." Wydan sighed.</p><p>        The two survivors turned back to the forest and rode away, disappointed that their plan had been delayed by unforeseen circumstances. It was a minor setback though; with a few slight alterations, they would soon be back to finish what they started. After taking the saddle off of his raptor and placing it in the shed, he dropped a box at Alyra's feet. She picked it up, looking surprised.</p><p>"Another hundred tranq arrows? Am I taming it on my own?" Alyra asked.</p><p>"No, I'll join you after the male is killed or driven off." Wydan replied as he saddled up the trike.</p><p>"Is that the strongest dino we have?"</p><p>"The therizino could probably hit harder, but I'm not convinced he'd survive against something twice his level. This trike is the most balanced dino we have."</p><p>"Are you sure the trike will be able to take the beating?"</p><p>"It's this or nothing." Wydan said adamantly.</p><p>"This, it, he, she; all such hollow ways to identify something so precious." Alyra murmured.</p><p>"Actually, there's something we can do about that. I'll tell you after our taming attempt though."</p><p>Page 4</p><p>"Why after?"</p><p>"It doesn't make sense to grow attached to something that could die in the next couple of hours." Wydan answered as he climbed onto the trike.</p><p>"Oh; I see."</p><p>          The journey back took half an hour longer with the slower triceratops, but the wait had been worth it, so far. When they spotted the pair of ankylosaurus, they were relieved to see that the lower level ankylos were almost a kilometer away, barely appearing on their spyglasses. Wydan finally shoved the pain away and turned to look at Alyra.</p><p>"Alright, last rehearsal; what's the plan?"</p><p>"I'm going to approach our target on the side opposite of the male. I will begin firing tranq arrows into the female, keeping a safe distance of eighteen meters and making sure the female is between the male and myself." Alyra said with a nod.</p><p>"Right. And when the male comes between you and the female, I will begin attacking the male to distract it."</p><p>"Praying that our dinos will survive this ordeal." Alyra added.</p><p>"Right." Wydan inhaled and held his breath for a second before exhaling calmly, saying with a grin, "Ready?"</p><p>"Ready." Alyra said after a long silence.</p><p>"Go." Wydan commanded.</p><p>        Her crossbow materialized in her hands as she approached the female ankylosaurus. At twenty yards, she fired her first arrow into the ankylo's front right leg. The dino cried in surprise, but its surprise quickly became anger. The ankylo charged at Alyra now; the male was a few steps behind. The game of predator and prey had begun.</p><p>        Alyra darted around the ankylos, putting tranq arrows into the female when she could, but many of her shots bounced off of the head and shelled body. She had managed to avoid the angry herbivores' attacks for the better part of five minutes. As she backed away from the female, she suddenly realized that she had lost sight of the male.</p><p>"Alyra!" Wydan shouted as he charged forward with his trike.</p><p>        Alyra commanded her raptor to jump forward, narrowly avoiding the male's attack. However, the female swiped her club-spiked tail to her left, catching the raptor upon landing on the ground. The raptor cried out in pain from the impact. The raptor limped for a minute, barely staying out of range of the tail. After a few more minutes of darting around the female ankylo, the raptor found its rhythm again.</p><p>        During this time, Alyra had improved with her aim. Most of her shots were sticking into the soft skin of the female. After another three shots, the ankylo groaned and stood still for a few seconds before falling to the ground. She jumped off of her raptor excitedly, before shouting to Wydan.</p><p>"I did it! The ankylo is down!" She grinned.</p><p>"LOOK OUT!" Wydan roared.</p><p>        She whipped her head around just in time to see the male's tail swinging into her stomach. The impact ripped the front of her hide shirt off, causing the shirt to dematerialize before she was sent flying backwards four meters. She hit her side hard, knocking the wind out of her. The crossbow slipped out of her hands as she rolled on to her back. The male charged at her.</p><p>
  <em>This is it.</em>
</p><p>        That was the thought that ran through her head as the ankylo prepared to swing his tail straight down, aiming for her head. At the last second, the triceratops rammed the ankylo in the side with its horns, pushing the smaller herbivore to her left. The tail missed her by half a meter. At that time, the raptor jumped on the ankylo's back; the raptor was stabbed by many of the spikes, but it didn't stop the raptor from biting into the ankylo's head.</p><p>        In spite of having a thick-skinned head, the ankylo roared in pain, thrashing to shake the raptor off. The effort was in vein though; the spikes kept the raptor in place, ironically. The raptor repeatedly bit into the ankylo's head until it reared up on its back two legs. In that instant, Wydan's trike rammed its horns into the belly of the ankylo. The ankylo shuddered a few times before it lay still, impaled by the trike's horns.</p><p>Page 5</p><p>        When Alyra could breathe again, she sat up painfully. She scrolled through her inventory before her one piece of prime meat jerky materialized in her hand. She quickly ate it and then lay back on the ground.</p><p>"Are you taming the ankylo?" Alyra called out.</p><p>"I fed her some berries and she's got some narcotics in her. I more concerned with your raptor at the moment; she got shredded up pretty bad."</p><p>        Alyra got to her feet, striding over to her raptor. The raptor was on the ground. It looked bloody and bruised, but wasn't bleeding out. The raptor looked up at her; it almost sounded like it was purring at her. She sobbed with a smile before caressing its face.</p><p>"How is she and how did you know my raptor's a girl?"</p><p>"If this were real life, the raptor would be dead already. As it is, she's incredibly weak and vulnerable. Even if she can't bleed to death, just about anything could kill her at this point and she wouldn't even be able to put up a fight. She's burning up her fat reserves to heal, so she'll need food soon."</p><p>"Are you a veterinarian or something?"</p><p>"No, just common sense. Food is the fuel that runs the body, not including the many chemicals that are naturally present in the body."</p><p>"Let me guess; you got high grades in health class and biology."</p><p>"Yeah, something like that. As for your second question, when you link your specimen implant with a tame, it tells you the gender." Wydan frowned as he rested his hand on the raptor's side.</p><p>"What's the plan then? Should we set up camp here?"</p><p>"That's our only option really." Wydan nodded, staring down at the raptor.</p><p>"How are we going to build a shelter while watching these guys?"</p><p>"We're gonna have to rough it out. We'll have a campfire and two sleeping bags."</p><p>"Do you think she'll be safe to move tomorrow?"</p><p>"Probably. She'll probably be safe to move by tonight, but I don't want to travel at night; predators are more likely to attack."</p><p>"Do you need my help?" Alyra asked suddenly.</p><p>"I think I can handle this for now. My trike can back me up if I run into trouble. Why?"</p><p>"I lost my shirt to an ankylosaurus and now my breasts are exposed. I figured if I'm going to be shirtless and drenched in sweat, perhaps it might be a good time to take a bath in that pond we passed by." Alyra answered, annoyed that he hadn't noticed yet.</p><p>        Wydan's face turned bright pink as he realized she was nude from the waist up. He quickly looked down, closing his eyes again.</p><p>"You could just make a shirt, you know." Wydan muttered.</p><p>"I intend to, but I haven't bathed in weeks. It stands to reason that if it's healthier to sleep than to not, the same would be true of bathing. Doesn't it bother you when you're drenched in sweat and your clothes are sticking to your skin?"</p><p>
  <em>I'd rather have something else sticking to my skin right now.</em>
</p><p>        His mind was assaulted with images of horror again, stomping out his lustful thoughts and flooding him with guilt. He looked down and closed his eyes again.</p><p>"I'll be back in a little while, <em>with</em> a shirt." Alyra sighed before walking away.</p><p>        Alyra slowly stripped off her clothing before stepping into the pond. She was thankful that there were no piranhas in the pond. She floated leisurely on her back for a time before rolling onto her stomach, facing the shore. She dunked her head under and stared at the fish until she needed to surface.</p><p>Page 6</p><p>        Upon surfacing, she noticed the reflection of sunlight. She judged it to be roughly three hundred meters away; their tames were three hundred meters away. When Alyra decided it was the reflection of a spyglass, she waved. The reflection faded immediately. Alyra grinned before swimming a few laps. When she got out of the water, she realized her clothes had dematerialized.</p><p>        She grinned for a few seconds before it faded to a sad smile. She had been tempted to tease him with her naked body, but she knew he would feel guilty. What she didn't understand was why. She would give herself freely; all he had to do was ask. She knew he shared her feelings but he constantly rejected them.</p><p>        Alyra quickly gathered up the fiber needed to make hide armor again; she already had all the hide after harvesting the male ankylo. Once it was made and equipped, she walked back to Wydan. She smirked at him as she sat down next to her raptor.</p><p>"Did you enjoy the display?" Alyra asked mischievously.</p><p>        Wydan shifted uncomfortably before saying, "We need to talk, Alyra."</p><p>"When you're ready, not before. Instead," Alyra pointed to the ankylo, "What's the tame status?"</p><p>        Wydan put his left hand on the dino before tapping his implant, "It's at about forty percent."</p><p>"Oh, and for the record, it only took thirty-five arrows to bring her down. I'm not sure why we needed so many tranq arrows."</p><p>"Maybe you're just a better shot than I am." Wydan shrugged.</p><p>        Alyra stayed with her raptor and stroked its face gently before asking, "You seemed to be suggesting there was a way to name our dinos before we left base the second time. How do I do that?"</p><p>"I suppose now is as good a time as any." Wydan sighed.</p><p>        Wydan approached his triceratops and placed his implant hand on the dino.</p><p>"Tap your specimen implant. Scroll and select options at the top of the menu. Then, select 'change name'. Now comes the tricky part. When naming things, the process is done with voice command. Now I'll demonstrate." He paused, facing his implant before continuing, "Begin, Jesse, confirm."</p><p>"That's it?" Alyra asked.</p><p>"Place your implant hand on the trike." Wydan said with a smile.</p><p>        Upon doing so, the top of the display read: <em>Jesse</em>.</p><p>"Why didn't it read something like 'Triceratops-level fifty' before?"</p><p>"I suppose that would've been redundant as you know it's a trike and the level displays in the stats." Wydan shrugged.</p><p>"I suppose." Alyra shrugged back.</p><p>        Alyra went back to her raptor and went through the steps Wydan had before saying, "Begin, Fearless, confirm."</p><p>        The raptor looked up at her, offering what seemed like a look of gratitude. She had never taken the time to actually examine her raptor. She decided it was the least she could do for the fearless raptor now.</p><p>        The raptor was a little over two meters tall, five meters long, and perhaps six hundred and eighty kilograms. Fearless was speckled with blood, but the majority of her body was dark green aside from the stomach and chest being olive green. The feathers were navy blue. Wydan had said that the feather color was a 'mutation'.</p><p>        Aside from gathering wood, placing a campfire, and crafting their hide sleeping bags, the rest of the day had been quiet. The ankylosaurus was tamed about an hour after Alyra had returned from her bath. Alyra named her 'Spirit'. The taming effectiveness boosted her level to eighty-five, making her their strongest dino.</p><p>Page 7</p><p>        Spirit was about a meter and a half tall, five and a half meters long, and likely weighed in at four thousand five hundred and fifty kilograms. She had gotten these measurements using her specimen implant as she checked the stats of their new dino. Based on her observations of the species, this was a bit on the small side, but not by much. Additionally, her small size did not change the fact that she had nearly crippled a raptor.</p><p>        Alyra stroked Spirit's tough head; the head was a brownish red, the color extending down the neck, across the back, and all the way down the end of the tail. She saw that the stomach was a pale pink. The legs she caressed were dark grey, overcome by a childish burst of wonder and awe. The spikes were a yellow-white and the spike tips were light brown, a reminder of how well defended these dinos were.</p><p>"You're really falling in love with these dinos, aren't you?" Wydan smirked.</p><p>"I think so." Alyra smiled.</p><p>"What completed the change that started a few hours ago?"</p><p>"Fearless. She put her life on the line even though no command was issued. At that moment, I knew she was a living creature that deserved my love and respect. I knew everything we ever tamed would deserve love and respect."</p><p>"Quite true." Wydan nodded.</p><p>        The day pressed on as the survivors kept watch over their injured dino. The wounds seemed to slowly close as daylight grew dimmer. When the sun dipped to about three centimeters above the horizon, Fearless slowly got to her feet and cawed excitedly. Alyra pulled out the trainer's whistle and whistled the down command. The raptor seemed annoyed, but laid back down on the ground.</p><p>"You need time to rest, girl." Alyra smiled, petting the raptor's head.</p><p>"I've heard you practicing at night with the tames; it won't be much longer before you don't need the whistle anymore."</p><p>"I'm getting there." Alyra agreed.</p><p>        There was a long silence now. After forty minutes, Wydan lit the campfire and huddled close to it, noticing the sudden drop in temperature. The sky was clear and not quite pitch black yet, but the Ark had a mind of it's own. If it was twenty-eight Celsius at thirteen hundred hours, there was nothing stopping it from dropping the temp to five Celsius at twenty-one hundred hours, which according to Wydan's implant, is exactly what happened. When he had looked at his implant half an hour ago, it had been a comfortable seventeen Celsius.</p><p>        It was twenty-three thirty-six now. After they had eaten some ankylo meat off of the male, who had dematerialized some time ago, they stared at the stars and talked about their experiences in the Ark for about an hour, and then got in their sleeping bags. Wydan noticed that Alyra wasn't sleeping and he suspected she didn't intend to either. He, on the other hand, had spent the last six months submitting to his internal clock, though it was pointless in this fantasy world.</p><p>        His eyes had been steadily growing heavier after crawling into the hide sleeping bag. He was reluctant to sleep though. If he were a new arrival, it might have been a fear of being eaten alive by the prehistoric predators that roamed the land. Jesse the trike and Spirit the ankylo were standing guard and were not easily overpowered. Even Fearless the raptor was shifting on the ground, ready to spring up and attack without hesitation, in spite of her tired condition and barely healed body. No; his fear was closer to the heart. He knew when he closed his eyes, he would return to his private hell.</p><p>        After a few more moments of resisting the urge to close his eyes though, his internal clock won the battle. He drifted off to sleep and quickly began to toss and turn. He lasted three hours before he sat up gasping. He turned to see that Alyra was laying on her side, staring at him now as he struggled to regulate his breathing again. The images were still fresh in his head and nothing he could do would make them go away.</p><p>Page 8</p><p>"It's her, isn't it?" Alyra asked.</p><p>"That obvious?" Wydan sighed, still not quite breathing regularly yet.</p><p>"I refused to believe you simply weren't interested in me, so I observed you as I would any animal when the nightmares started forty-five days ago. We've spoken of many things since we met, but the nameless woman was never mentioned again after the day...I killed you."</p><p>"Still can't see yourself as a killer, can you?" Wydan smiled weakly, feeling slightly calmer now.</p><p>"No; if anything, such an action seems to contradict my purpose." Alyra frowned.</p><p>"By now you must realize it though."</p><p>"That you can't survive without killing?" Alyra asked with a sigh.</p><p>"That's it exactly."</p><p>"If it were just the dinos, I would disagree with you. However," Alyra paused uncomfortably, "Encounters with other survivors here are generally...ugly. I have not yet met another survivor who was kind, aside from you."</p><p>        There was along silence before Alyra spoke again.</p><p>"That's what this is about, isn't it? You feel that you killed the woman, don't you?"</p><p>"No, I did more than just kill her. I watched her day and night, listened to her screams and stood silently as her eyes begged me to save her, or end her suffering. She asked to be set free, not caring if she lived or died. I knew it was wrong but I didn't dare take on twelve heartless killers. So I bottled it up for as long as I possibly could until I couldn't take it anymore. Then I ran, like the coward I was. It took a week to find the Alpha Council."</p><p>"So you either left after forty days or she was there for fifty-four days. Which is it?" Alyra demanded.</p><p>"I left at thirty-one days. Seven days to find the Alpha Council and then another seven days to spy and report back to the Council." Wydan murmured as tears ran down his face.</p><p>        He didn't realize when Alyra had gotten out of her sleeping bag, but by the time he noticed her, there was a sharpened pike against his throat. Her eyes were filled with rage and anger; he thought for sure she would jam the pike through his throat and kill him any second now, but it didn't happen. She screamed and jammed the pike into the ground, centimeters from his ear. Their tames looked uneasy, standing ready to attack but unsure who the target was.</p><p>"This is your nightmare? Reliving your cowardice?!"</p><p>"No." Wydan whispered.</p><p>"What?"</p><p>"No; that's not my nightmare." Wydan cried softly.</p><p>"Then what <em>is</em> your nightmare, Wydan?" Alyra growled, still fueled by anger.</p><p>"Trust me, you don't want to know."</p><p>"No more secrets! Why are you afraid to love me?!"</p><p>"You...love me?" Wydan asked slowly, looking into her eyes.</p><p>"That will depend on the next words that come out of your mouth." Alyra replied coldly.</p><p>"You must be cold; perhaps it would be wiser to  continue this in the morning." Wydan suggested.</p><p>"Not the words I want to hear." Alyra whispered in his ear slowly.</p><p>Page 9</p><p>"So be it, then." Wydan sighed before sitting up, wiping the tears off his face.</p><p>        There was a brief silence before the man spoke.</p><p>"I dream that I'm running from the base; I'm lost in the woods between Rex Mountain and Gambler's Valley. After some time, I find my way to the cliff overlooking Gambler's Valley. I abandon the tribe and jump off the cliff, ready to teleport as far away from that place as I can. When I become conscious again, I find myself in Mundro's bed with the woman chained to the bed by the hands and feet."</p><p>"Mundro is the man who killed me?"</p><p>"He leads Hell's Raptors, so probably." Wydan paused before continuing with a shudder, "My mind is no longer my own; I become aware of the thoughts of all my tribe mates and they drown my senses. I pull the fur blanket on the floor to discover we're both naked. Her eyes are full of fire at first, but she whimpers in fear as I pinch a nipple with a sadistic grin. She cries silently as I caress her skin. My sight goes dark; when it returns, my manhood is thrust into her mouth and she chokes on it. I laugh as she chokes until I'm overcome by pleasure. Then she's dead. My heart cries out in pain, but a cruel laugh escapes my throat as I'm congratulated by everyone. Mundro says I've made him proud."</p><p>"But she's free. The dream disgusts me, but if she died, she's respawned somewhere far away."</p><p>"Not in this dream. She respawns chained to the bed with her arms and legs spread apart this time. She cries loudly, not holding back this time as my tribe mates cheer me on for another go. My heart screams for me to stop, but my mind is brainwashed by the dark pleasure I've experienced as I penetrate her with laughter."</p><p>"And you do it to her over and over again?"</p><p>"She's died eight times in my shortest dream and thirty times in my longest dream." Wydan said as the tears rolled down his face again.</p><p>        Alyra picked up the pike and returned it to the hotbar. At this moment, she couldn't decide on whether she wanted to kick him in the head or kiss his lips. She eventually decided against both and knelt by him. She breathed slowly as she processed everything.</p><p>"You have almost eighty deaths now, but they're not all accidents, are they?"</p><p>"No." Wydan whispered.</p><p>"You've been killing yourself since the day I killed you, haven't you?"</p><p>"Pretty much."</p><p>        Alyra got up and stared at Wydan. She was torn between hatred and pity; her head began to hurt as she considered her options. Finally, she ignored her head and went with her heart.</p><p>"I don't know what to do with this information, Wydan, but I know one thing is for certain; until you overcome your guilt, you're a risk to your tribe."</p><p>"I take it you're conflicted regarding how to approach me?"</p><p>"Yes." Alyra said after a long silence.</p><p>"Then neither one of us is good for the tribe right now."</p><p>"Which is why we should split up if we can't put this behind us." Alyra suggested.</p><p>"How long do we have to work this out?" Wydan asked, locking eyes with her.</p><p>"I don't know. We can figure that out tomorrow. I'm ready to sleep now." Alyra answered before walking back to her sleeping bag.</p><p>        Both of the survivors struggled to get any real sleep. By zero eight hundred hours, they were packed and moving the tames back to their base in the forest. Not a word was spoken between them. When they reached the base an hour later, they took the saddles off of Fearless and Jesse. There was no saddle on Spirit, as neither could make an ankylo saddle yet.</p><p>Page 10</p><p>Day 111</p><p>        The tribe had taken a hard hit since Alyra's confrontation with Wydan. Wydan had not ridden or interacted with a tame in the last week. His level remained at sixty-three, exactly where it was three weeks ago. Alyra figured his death count was over a hundred by now. She looked at her tribe log once in a while, but rarely did she see anything encouraging in the log.</p><p>        On the other hand, Alyra had spent the last eighteen days progressing in any way she could. She was now at level fifty-three. She was a skilled hunter and tamer now, though she felt more comfortable working as a team. She knew all of the whistle commands and no longer needed the trainer's whistle. She had named all of her tames within a week; she even named a few of Wydan's tames. She had met her first peaceful tribe, Dino Lovers, who had taught her how to tame her first pteranodon. This was the only new tame that had been added since the confrontation.</p><p>        Alyra stood in a shallow stream, facing a small waterfall. The stream she stood in was only fifteen centimeters deep and the waterfall was perhaps two and a half meters high, but it was perfect for what she had in mind. If this didn't work, she would have to go out on her own tomorrow. She tapped her implant twice, glancing at the info on the projection.</p><p>
  <em>Day 111, 11:37, 30 C, Wind: 12%</em>
</p><p>        The weather was perfect as well. She looked down at her companions, a trio of dilophosaurs. They stared at her adoringly, looking around ocassionally to ensure there was no danger to their master in the area. They stood at about a meter and a half tall, two and a half meters long, and weighed roughly one hundred and fifty kilograms.</p><p>        Her best dilo was at level fifty-nine. Her name was Pamella. Most of the body was dark green, except for the frill, crest, and belly, which were a pale pink. She was the smartest of the three and was currently the only tame that responded to vocal commands.</p><p>        Sawyer was her strongest at level fifty-three. His body was a dark brownish red, the face and back were dark orange, and the frill, crest, and belly were olive green. His venom seemed to be more potent than his siblings'.</p><p>        Lastly, there was Jackson; Jackson was a lowly forty-four, but she probably spent more time with him than any other tame. His body was black, the face and back were dark red, and the frill, crest, and belly were light green. He stayed by her side whenever possible.</p><p>        Alyra viewed all of them as her children now. She had grown attached to all of the dinos now that Wydan had neglected them, but she felt closer to the dilophosaurs, though she didn't know why, exactly. Perhaps because they were the smallest tames they had.</p><p>"Pamella, go get Wydan." Alyra smiled.</p><p>        The green dilo chirped at her before running away. Alyra smiled before facing the waterfall; she went through her specimen implant to remove her clothes this time, storing the armor in her inventory. She approached the waterfall with a piece of cloth in one hand and a bar of soap in the other. Soap was not easy to come by in a prehistoric world, for the record.</p><p>        Alyra stood in the falling water and waited. In the distance, she could hear her Pamella rasping, no doubt annoying Wydan to no end. As the rasping grew louder and closer, Alyra's heart pounded. What happened next would decide her future.</p><p>        Wydan came up the hill and stood there upon seeing her.</p><p>"Join me." Alyra called out.</p><p>"Not gonna happen." Wydan growled.</p><p>"Then we part ways." Alyra declared with a sad smile.</p><p>"So be it." Wydan muttered before turning to walk away.</p><p>Page 11</p><p>"Elvis is dead." Alyra shouted as he started to go down the hill</p><p>        Wydan turned to face the woman again. His eyes seemed lifeless as he stared at her.</p><p>"What?"</p><p>"Elvis, your best raptor? He's dead." Alyra repeated.</p><p>"How?"</p><p>"That doesn't really matter, does it?"</p><p>"I'll decide that, thank you!" Wydan snarled.</p><p>"Rather then accept my offer of intimacy, you abandoned your tribe in almost every way possible."</p><p>"What happened?" Wydan growled.</p><p>"What do you think happened?! He starved to death!" Alyra shouted.</p><p>"Oh."</p><p>"Yeah; you try feeding seventeen starving dinos with a four hundred pound carry limit." Alyra seethed.</p><p>"What do you want, Alyra? Do you want my tames? Do you want ownership of my tribe? Do you want me to worship you and surrender my free will?"</p><p>"I want you to forgive yourself! I want you to come back to your senses and show me what it means to live! Stop looking for ways to kill yourself and hold onto that piece that wills you to live!"</p><p>"You haven't figured it out yet, what that piece is?" Wydan asked softly.</p><p>"What wills you to live, Wydan?"</p><p>"Not what, who." Wydan answered.</p><p>"Me? That doesn't make any sense. I can't give and take your will at the same time!"</p><p>"No; you give it and she takes it."</p><p>"Then fuck her! You made a mistake and you may have to face the consequences someday! But she's gone and safe, if this Alpha Council has her. Now you have me; all of me. I will give you the sweat on my body, the fear and excitement that race through my heart, the tears that roll down my face! Short of my self respect, I will give you everything I have."</p><p>"Why would you do that? Why would you throw your life away to be with me?"</p><p>"I love you, Wydan. You don't throw your life away to love someone; not here anyway. I'm fortifying my life. With you by my side, I'm stronger, braver, and happier."</p><p>"You would seriously stay by my side, even knowing that Hell's Raptors is out to kill me and everything I love?" Wydan probed, taking a few steps toward her.</p><p>"I would walk into the jaws of a t-rex for you, or blow myself up in Hell's Raptors' damn base, for that matter."</p><p>"This is what you truly want? You would give your heart to a coward?"</p><p>"I would give my heart to the man who has taught me almost everything I know about the Ark." Alyra said, reaching her right hand out to him as the cloth piece fell from her grip, dematerializing on the ground.</p><p>"Then I will be your fortress when you seek shelter; I will be your shield when you are weak; I will be your hope when you falter." Wydan said as his armor dematerialized into his inventory, approaching her slowly.</p><p>Page 12</p><p>        Alyra's heart pounded as he encroached her personal space, but this is what she had been waiting for. The time it took for their skin to make contact felt like an eternity. Then it was done; Wydan wrapped his arms around her back and held her tightly. Their lips locked just seconds later. Events had now been set in motion that would change her life forever, whether it be for better or for worse.</p><p>        Alyra soon found herself pinned against the rock wall; her feet being lifted off of the ground. Everything happened so fast. She gasped as they reached the point of no return; that moment when two bodies became one and swayed to a rhythm created by two lovers. She wrapped her legs around his waist and tilted her head back with a moan. He brought his lips down to her neck and kissed it slowly and softly as she grabbed his shoulders, her eyes fluttering in ecstasy.</p><p>        On that day, the two learned that the physical limitations of the body in the Ark far exceeded their limitations in the real world. In the real world they would have finished in five, ten minutes, tops. They found themselves on the right side of the stream; their bodies half submerged in the water laying on their backs...two hours later.</p><p>        They held each other's hands with their eyes closed as they listened to the other's breathing. The forest around them was silent now, with the occasional squawk from her dilophosaurs. Wydan chuckled as he opened his eyes to stare at the miniature carnivores.</p><p>"Next time," Wydan paused with a grin, "I'd like to do this without an audience."</p><p>"According to Dino Lovers, that was equivalent to a wedding ceremony. It was only natural to have witnesses." Alyra joked.</p><p>"Maybe a hundred years ago. Nobody honors that tradition anymore. And how did a conversation about sex come up with total strangers?" Wydan chuckled.</p><p>"I honor that tradition. Besides, it's not like this Alpha Council is going to stop negotiations between tribes to marry a couple. As to your question," Alyra simpered as she rolled on to her side, placing her left hand on his chest before replying, "They make it a habit to study the behavior of the creatures here. <em>All</em> of their behaviors, and eventually we were exploring the behaviors of humans."</p><p>"Did you learn anything about our therizino?" Wydan asked.</p><p>"Ivan-." Alyra started.</p><p>"You named my tame Ivan?" Wydan said with mock outrage as he faced her.</p><p>"I waited two weeks for you to name the guy, and a few others for that matter!" Alyra scolded.</p><p>"Okay! I get it; I slipped up." Wydan muttered.</p><p>"Damn straight you did. But now we're going to make things right, aren't we?" Alyra wheedled.</p><p>"Yes, Dear. So, what did you learn about Ivan?" Wydan sighed.</p><p>"They came up with a few guesses, but the one that made the most sense was that their young were being targeted by a pack of predators or a large predator."</p><p>"Like a rex?"</p><p>"Possibly; I have basic training with tracking dinos. I might not be able to tell you where a dino is going, but I could probably tell you if it's nearby."</p><p>"Ever more the warrior." Wydan chuckled before leaning forward to kiss her lips.</p><p>"I prefer aggressive scientist, thank you." Alyra insisted.</p><p>        They laid there for another few minutes before Alyra got up.</p><p>"Where are you going?"</p><p>"To finish what I started; bathing." Alyra smiled as the bar of soap materialized in her hands.</p><p>"I'll join you." Wydan smirked as he sat up.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This isn't going as well as I hoped...<br/>I'm struggling to mix real life with gamer logic. I don't actually have to pick between one or the other, do I?<br/>I'd like opinions on whether I should keep going with the style or start over and make it more realistic.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Men and Babies</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Alyra and Wydan, dubbed the 'Orphan Couple', work hard to build up their tribe. As their adventures continue, they soon find that they're being followed. They suspect that Hell's Raptors have found them, so they prepare to confront their stalker. Also they get a lesson in breeding...no, not each other!</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>*It's decided; I will lean towards game logic for the most part but will apply some real life logic. One example might be mesopithecus (Hint hint, but not in this chapter).<br/>*Also, I just now decided that those undergarments you spawn in wearing will be level one crafting items, like the note, torch, and stone pick. Crafting cost is 15 fiber and 10 hide. This means I'll probably have to edit my first two chapters to a slight degree.<br/>*I figured a little monkey would slide right out of a wooden cage, so I added small wooden cage. Crafted at level 9 with 55 wood, 15 thatch, and 15 fiber. Storage box is a prerequisite.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Day 173</p><p>        The tribe of Orphans had improved greatly since the two had 'married' two months ago. Wydan was at level seventy-five and Alyra had skyrocketed to level sixty-eight. The two had worked tirelessly to progress after rumor reached them that Hell's Raptors was hunting them down. In the process, they lost Sawyer the dilophosaur and Billy the triceratops to a pack of allosaurus'. However, they also gained six new dinos; a level forty-eight carnotaurus named Lila, a level fifty-three gallimimus named Roxy, a level eighty-two dilophosaur named Carlos, a level seventy raptor named Cash, a level sixty-four triceratops named Sadie, and a level fifty argentavis named Luke, which put them at twenty-one tames.</p><p>        As a result of this, Wydan had sectioned of almost three kilometers of the forest with fence foundations, stone walls, and two behemoth stone gateways; one facing north and the other south. The walls had been placed five walls high, offering protection from nearly all threats the Ark could throw at them. This had been a risky move; expanding their territory made them an easier target if anyone wandered the forest. Alyra had argued that the rising number of tames would have the same effect, however, and Wydan agreed.</p><p>        This was their largest base so far; the main base was six foundations wide by eight foundations long by four walls high, complete with sloped walls, roofing, and windows. Wydan had hoped to build it out of metal, but had not learned the engrams yet, so he settled with stone. Stone wasn't bad; about the only thing that could break through a stone structure in the flower lands was a giganotosaurus. There were three or four others that could take out stone, but most of them weren't native to the Flower Lands.</p><p>"We've gathered up quite the little army, haven't we?" Alyra smirked, staring at their vast array of tames.</p><p>"We could probably take on an alpha rex and not lose too many of our dinos." Wydan remarked with a grin.</p><p>"So, what's the plan for today?"</p><p>"Strip off our armor, got back inside, and make love until we fall asleep." Wydan teased playfully, stroking her hide armor.</p><p>"We did that for two weeks. By the time we were finished, half of our tames were nearly dead from starvation. No, what's the <em>real</em> plan?"</p><p>"Well, we have a few options. We could move to another location."</p><p>"Why would we want to do that?"</p><p>"According to the tribe log, the first two bases we built in the Birthing Grounds have been wiped out. Hell's Raptors haven't come up in the log yet, but it's only a matter of time before they find us. I thought it might be wise to relocate before we're found."</p><p>"What was the name of the tribe?"</p><p>"Tribes. Our first base was wiped by 'Violet Maidens'."</p><p>"An all-female tribe, skilled fighters but no tames yet; they pose no threat to us."</p><p>"The second base was wiped by 'Damned Warriors'."</p><p>"Newer tribe, but fierce. Their tribe consists mostly of men and their most powerful tame is a therizino. They <em>could</em> penetrate our walls, but they're not powerful enough to do any real damage."</p><p>"How do you know all this?" Wydan asked, clearly impressed.</p><p>"As an Administrator of your tribe, I forged an alliance with Dino Lovers. They have tribe mates scattered across the map studying the creatures. On occasion, either through trade or through combat, they pick up information regarding other tribes. Supposedly, they get information from the Alpha Council as well."</p><p>"I didn't give you permission to form an alliance. What would have happened if they turned out to be spies for Hell's Raptors?" Wydan asked with a dark tone now.</p><p>"Their not spies and you know it! They've assisted us with several tames over the last month and have even offered to trade tames with us." Alyra scowled.</p><p>Page 2</p><p>"And that's why I'm not demoting you."</p><p>"You would take my administrative privileges away over an unsanctioned alliance with a completely trustworthy tribe?" Alyra pouted.</p><p>"Unsanctioned is the key word there. Couples have divorced over something as small as a dodo, I might add." Wydan pointed out with a smirk.</p><p>"Oh?" Alyra asked before gently kissing his lips and added seductively, "What can I do to make it up to you?"</p><p>"There's a bed inside calling your name, I think." Wydan grinned, kissing the back of her neck.</p><p>        A tree branch above them snapped, startling both of them into defensive positions as crossbows materialized in their hands. By the time they looked up though, there was nothing there. They stood their ground; they weren't convinced that the danger had passed. Something small suddenly landed on the ground at Alyra's feet and screeched before darting towards the wall.</p><p>"Fearless! Retrieve!" Alyra shouted.</p><p>        The forest green raptor sprinted a few steps before leaping forward. She quickly caught the creature in her jaws before turning around. She strolled up to Alyra, looking happy now. Fearless waited for the order to kill it, but the order was never given.</p><p>"Mesopithecus. Friendly little prehistoric monkeys, but they don't generally interact outside of their species." Wydan frowned.</p><p>"Unless," Alyra placed her implant hand on the creature's head before nodding, "It's a tame."</p><p>        Alyra walked to the nearest wall and looked up.</p><p>"I don't know who you are or who you're with, but we have your monkey now; you'll have to confront us if you want it back. We promise not to kill it, but it may starve to death without you." Alyra called out loudly.</p><p>        Alyra waited for a reply, or a noise, any noise, but heard none. When she walked back to the base, she saw that Wydan had crafted a small wooden cage. The mesopethicus was safely locked away and Fearless had returned to join the other raptors. He frowned upon noticing her.</p><p>"Are we not going to feed him?"</p><p>"I'm not unwilling to feed our guest. However; I've never successfully fed another tribe's tame."</p><p>"You can't even feed Dino Lover's tames?"</p><p>        Alyra shook her head before saying, "I need to do some more research to confirm my hypothesis, but I suspect that tames are fiercely loyal to their tribe."</p><p>"This guy had better stop hiding and sneaking around then. I don't know if I could see another dino starve to death." Wydan muttered.</p><p>"Knowing what we do now, what's our plan?"</p><p>"Back to the first question, I see. I say we take the carnos and raptors and patrol the Flower Lands. Even if we don't find anyone, we'll have a chance to level our attackers up."</p><p>"I like that plan. Maybe we could do some gathering while we're out there." Alyra suggested.</p><p>"What would we gather? We have a fair supply of our primary materials."</p><p>"I'd like to gather more berries; specifically mejoberries and narcoberries."</p><p>"Perhaps we should leave the raptors behind. I'll take the carnotaurs and you can ride on Amber. She can carry over a thousand pounds easily; she's perfect for harvesting berries." Wydan pointed out.</p><p>"I suppose that makes sense, but I was looking forward to an adventure with Fearless." Alyra sighed.</p><p>"I know, but stegos need love too, you know. As a member of this tribe, she's as much yours as she is mine. As my wife, she may be <em>more</em> yours than she is mine." Wydan chuckled as Alyra climbed up onto the armor-plated herbivore.</p><p>Page 3</p><p>"I may know more about her behavior, someday, I might know about her anatomy, hell, I may even become a dino doctor, but you'll always be her master." Alyra smiled as Wydan climbed on to the saddle of the female carnotaur, Lila.</p><p>        Wydan whistled for the male carnotaur to follow him. Alyra suddenly whistled after him. Fearless hopped on her feet and took up position behind the stego. Wydan grinned as he glanced at his wife.</p><p>"You can't go without her, can you?" Wydan asked, still grinning.</p><p>"It occurred to me that I might want some protection while I'm harvesting. Besides, how else is she going to catch up to Cash?" Alyra asked coyly.</p><p>"Amber could defend herself easily enough, you know. She has more health and melee damage then Fearless and Cash combined." Wydan stated casually.</p><p>"Well, I guess someone doesn't want to get laid when we get back." Alyra snickered.</p><p>"Alright!" Wydan exclaimed, putting his hands up before adding, "I just didn't want to see your favorite raptor go down to a rex, if we ended up bumping into one!"</p><p>"Awe, that's so sweet!" His wife said mockingly.</p><p>"No; I'm serious! A trio of rexes were spotted east of Northern Woods; at least one of them was heading south."</p><p>        Alyra whistled again, getting off of Amber and sitting on Fearless. She then whistled for the raptors to follow her. She looked at Wydan who was frowning now.</p><p>"You want to kill the rexes?"</p><p>"Maybe; all I really want to do is scout the area."</p><p>"Why not take Amber? She can take a rex." Wydan said confidently.</p><p>"But can she take on two?"</p><p>"Excuse me?"</p><p>"The t-rex isn't generally a pack hunter. If three have been spotted in the same area, it stands to reason that two of them are mates and will travel in the same direction. However, they won't necessarily stay close, so they could cover a large area."</p><p>"Well then, it's settled; this is a job for Winston." Wydan sighed as he got off of Lila and whistled for the Carnotaurs to stay put.</p><p>        Wydan placed the saddle on the pteranodon before turning to face Alyra.</p><p>"I'll do a full sweep of the Flower Lands. Once I'm done, I'll fly back and we can go from there."</p><p>"What am I supposed to do while you 'get high'?" Alyra scowled as she got off of Fearless.</p><p>"Get low." Wydan smirked.</p><p>"You can sleep outside tonight." Alyra scowled mockingly before kissing him.</p><p>"Talk to Curious George; I'm sure he'll keep you company." Wydan said, shaking his head with a smile.</p><p>"I suppose I could do some research while you're gone." Alyra sighed.</p><p>"If I make it up to you, can I sleep in the base?" Wydan wheedled.</p><p>"Oh, I don't see why not." Alyra sighed.</p><p>"With you?" He grinned as he kissed her.</p><p>"Don't push it, flyboy." Alyra scolded, still in a mocking manner.</p><p>"Yes ma'am." Wydan grinned as he got on to the pteranodon.</p><p>Page 4</p><p>        The pteranodon shoved off of the ground a moment later and flapped his wings steadily as he lifted into the air. As the two of them slowly flew out of sight, Alyra crafted a note as she stared at the little monkey in the cage. The mesopethicus stared back at her, uncertain as to what was happening.</p><p>        She began to write down her observations with a handcrafted feather pen and a jar of ink. The pen and ink were a trick she had learned from college level art classes she took. The ink was made with azulberries, water, sap, and oil. She could use the specimen implant to print the words on to the fiber paper, but it just didn't feel natural.</p><p>        The body was grey, the eyes were olive green, the digits were light brown, and there was a black stripe that ran down it's back, all the way to the tail tip. It was about forty centimeters long and weighed about three and a half kilos, she guessed after picking up the cage. The monkey was a little heavier than his wild counterparts; likely a result of overfeeding. It looked alert, but also curious as Alyra continued to observe the specimen. She gave up on her studies after it refused to eat the mejoberries she had slid into the cage, letting the berries dematerialize on the floor.</p><p>"You'll have to eat eventually, little guy. If you don't, you're going to starve to death." Alyra warned.</p><p>        Alyra walked away from the caged monkey and began checking on the tames now. The herbivores still had plenty of berries in their feeding trough, which was no surprise to her. The carnivores were a different story though. The carnivore feeding trough was completely empty; she suspected that it wasn't the result of spoilage either. As they defended the tribe from threats, they burnt through more food than the herbivores, who were primarily gatherers.</p><p>        Alyra hopped on Fearless, who had stood by her side the whole time since Wydan left. She rarely took the saddle off of her favorite tame. When she got to the south side of her land, she put her hand on one of the massive doors and pressed her implant. The options of open, lock, and demolish appeared on the projected screen. She selected open and the gateway slowly swung open. Once open, Alyra directed Fearless through the gateway, repeated the process, and selected close. Fearless trotted away as the gateway closed.</p><p>        After traveling northeast for two kilometers, she stumbled across one of the t-rexes. Alyra looked around with her spyglass, but could not see another rex anywhere. At a distance of two hundred and fifty meters, the chances of her getting spot would have been dangerously high but the apex predator was preoccupied with eating the insides of a trike. She quickly manipulated the reins, getting Fearless to run south at full speed. They didn't stop until running for five minutes, at which point Fearless was completely exhausted.</p><p>"Alright, Girl. I think we're safe."</p><p>        They had managed to return to the pond she had bathed in during the ankylo tame. Fearless happily drank from the pond after Alyra got off her raptor. She looked around with a spyglass, but there were no threats visible. However, there was something that had caught her interest.</p><p>        In the distance, perhaps one hundred and fifteen meters to her south, stood an equus. It was gold with light brown stripes, a level fifty-five female, according to her spyglass; its movement seemed almost majestic. It was love at first sight for the dino researcher.</p><p>        Alyra whistled Fearless to stand down and stay put. She approached the equus slowly, staying in its blindspot. When she was within reach of the prehistoric horse, she held her hand under its mouth as purple mejoberries materialized. The equus ate from her hand without hesitation; it stopped dead in its tracks as it realized it wasn't alone.</p><p>
  <em>This is the hard part.</em>
</p><p>        Alyra jumped on to the equus right before it broke into a full sprint. The woman hugged the neck tightly as the creature displayed the behavior of a bucking bronco. It would rear up on its hind legs; this is when Alyra would feed it. Oddly, doing so seemed to calm the equid herbivore. She continued to do this for what seemed like hours, until finally, the equus came to a stop.</p><p>Page 5</p><p>        Alyra let go of the prehistoric horse; this proved to be a mistake. At that instant, the equus reared back, throwing Alyra off of its back. Alyra fell to the ground with a loud thud. She raised her arms over her face, expecting to get trampled by an enraged herbivore, but was greeted by the sound of silence. She looked up at the equus; it snorted and neighed as it locked eyes with her.</p><p>"Are we even then?" Alyra asked with a chuckle.</p><p>        The equus headbutted the air, simulating a nod. By this time, Fearless had come to Alyra's aid, making sure her master was uninjured. Alyra whistled for the raptor to stand down again, frowning at the fact that her tame had disobeyed her. She stood up and caressed the raptor's face.</p><p>"Yes, Girl, I'm fine."</p><p>        She turned to face the equus before asking, "Did you get it all out of your system?"</p><p>        "The equus headbutted the air again.</p><p>"Good. Let's go home." Alyra smiled before whistling towards the equus.</p>
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